HIGHTSTOWN: Voting to begin for holiday contest

   HIGHTSTOWN — Downtown Hightstown’s fifth annual Holiday Storefront & Window Decorating Contest is back.
   Teams from Hightstown High School and Peddie School art students are set to paint a selection of windows of downtown businesses with holiday themes.
   This approach engages students and their families in our downtown business district, generates positive publicity for the town, and promotes a festive holiday spirit while promoting art and community participation, a Downtown Hightstown press release said. It also fosters the small-town feeling.
   This year’s decorating theme is “Snowflakes.”
   Saturday, Dec. 8 — People can vote for their favorite window display at noon via www.DowntownHightstown.org. Voting closes noon, Thursday, Dec. 13.
   Thursday, Dec. 13 — From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Downtown Hightstown will host an award ceremony at the Point, by the fountain in the center of town, with live holiday music, horse-drawn carriage rides for a $3 per person minimum donation per person, hot cocoa, a free raffle, and a visit from Santa.
   Dec. 13, at 6 p.m. the horse-drawn carriage rides, holiday music, hot cocoa and treats will get things started. At 6:30 p.m. there will be a live musical performance by local guitar instructor Dan Trent and students. At 7 p.m. Santa is set to arrive for pictures with the kids. There will be another live musical performance at 7:30 p.m. 8 p.m.
   Decorating contest and raffle winners will be announced at 8 p.m. that night, Dec. 13.
   Local government officials and school administrators will join in the festivities, a Downtown Hightstown press release said. Students who painted the top three windows will receive gift certificates to Michaels to further their artistic talents.